


When Snow Falls

by PumpkinWitch000



Series: 2016 Christmas Fics - 25 Days of Magic [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: After Hogwarts, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PumpkinWitch000/pseuds/PumpkinWitch000
Summary: Harry hasn't seen Malfoy in six years and he's been happy to keep it that way. The git was always annoying and he was DEFINITELY not missing him. When a curse can't be solved Robards sends Harry to enlist the help of said Slytherin. Draco is not what he expected. Maybe it's just the holiday spirit but Harry can't help feeling like seeing his old enemy again was the best Christmas gift he could have gotten.//This fic belongs to a series of one-shots all in the Christmas spirit. Grab some hot cocoa and a candy cane, get comfy, and enjoy!//





	

The manor was surrounded by a very tall wall, wards humming on every inch of it. Harry could feel the crackle of magic in the air and knew he’d have a better chance storming Fort Knox. The masonry was all old and regal, impeccably maintained. A small house elf popped into existence when he rang the bell. It introduced itself as ‘Tweaky’ and led him through the curling iron gates. The metal was woven and twisting in spirals, snakes with venomous green eyes as the handles. Harry was unsurprised to see the interior of the property was just as grand.

 

Blooming white apple blossoms lined the walkway up to the house. Petals fell in dizzying patterns to make a carpet on the ground. Low running hedges divided up space and Harry could see a sitting area under tresses with ripe grapes. The lawn was well kept and fountains gushed away quietly. Harry realized one of the fountains was in fact a Veela with water gushing from its eyes like tears, wings spread for flight. Another was a rearing snake that had water spraying in twin streams from its fangs. Pure white roses sat along rosebushes against the house, their sweet scent filling the air.

 

Harry followed Tweaky up to polished double doors with a rather ugly dragon doorknocker. The doors flung open at the elf’s beckon and they entered Malfoy Manor. The inside was no less impressive than the outside. Everything was either crystal or gold and dark woods mixed well with the stone accents. Richly dressed portraits all clustered around to look at Harry, whispering and nudging each other. Tweaky took him through the foyer and up a grand staircase. The entire house was very formal and foreboding, Harry felt like he was a museum.

 

They walked down several hallways and past too many doors to count. Harry kept a mental catalogue of the way and anything that looked remotely suspicious. Malfoy may have been cleared in the trails but he rather be safe than dead. The little elf stopped at a door covered in runes and bowed low before disappearing. Harry straightened his robes, not bothering with his unruly black hair, and knocked. For a moment there was silence then;

 

“Enter.”

 

Harry hadn’t known what he’d been expecting Draco Malfoy to look like after not seeing him for six years. The pale skin was of course the same, as were the silvery eyes and platinum hair colour. However that was where the similarities between the man in front of him and the boy from his memories ended. Malfoy had grown out his hair and it pooled around his shoulders and spilled down his back. His features were pointed but his jaw had filled out, his cheekbones more prominent, and while his lips were still plump and pouty, his body was that of a man. Harry couldn’t help the shudder of arousal that went through him at the sight of his old nemesis.

 

“Late as always Potter,” Malfoy drawled, placing the book he was holding down. He was sitting behind a nearly-white stone desk, shining runes etched into every inch of surface available. The room was bathed in cool light from the clouded day outside. Above the blond’s head a cluster of glowing orbs floated in glass balls. Books upon books were neatly placed on the shelves that covered every inch of wall space. It was not what Harry had pictured Malfoy’s office to look like at all.

 

“By three minutes,” Harry pointed out, “I’m here to discuss business Malfoy.”

 

“I was aware by the way you wrote ‘I need to discuss business with you’ on the letter you sent,” He said dryly, silvery eyes watching Harry’s every move.

 

Harry felt a flush creep up his neck, “Yeah. Well anyways it has to do with work. I hate to interrupt your holidays, but you’re the best in your field and Robards recommended you.”

 

“I am the best,” Malfoy said, conceding the point, “But you know I don’t work for free.”

 

“Money isn’t an issue,” Harry said immediately. Because of his inheritance he’d never been hurting for money and Sirius naming him his heir had only increased his wealth. He had no doubt he could match any offer the blond demanded.

 

Malfoy hummed under his breath, taking his time answering, “The problem is Potter, I don’t need money. You need to be able to offer me something of value.”

 

“Name your price.”

 

He smirked at that, “Head strong as usual I see. I’m actually looking for an artifact the Blacks own. You being the successor can get it from the vaults for me.”

 

“Is it dangerous?” Harry asked, suspicion rising.

 

“Define dangerous,” Malfoy said. At Harry’s look he shook his head with a sigh, “Honestly Potter, I’m not going to ask an Auror to go retrieve a Dark artifact for me. The Blacks own one of the Books of Thought. Having it would be very useful in my line of work. I do warn you it’s worth a fortune.”

 

“I don’t need it,” Harry said, “I’ll get you the book if you help me.”

 

Malfoy smirked, his eyes lighting up, “Then we have a deal. I’ll need the immediate details of the case and full access to the Auror research database.”

 

Harry took the chair across from Malfoy, “It’s a really ridiculous case really. Around two weeks ago people started going missing and then turning up in random places. None of them remember anything and their houses are cleaned out. Whoever is kidnapping them we don’t know but they seem to be some kind of Anti-Claus because they always leave a calling card.”

 

He handed the card over for Malfoy to examine. Loopy red script read ‘Merry Christmas’ on it. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and Harry continued, “To make matters worse, it seems anyone who has gone missing ends up cursed. They start acting irrational and if left untended they can hurt the people around them. Calming Draughts can manage the symptoms but the Investigation Team has been unable to locate what’s causing the behavior.”

 

Malfoy mulled the information over before saying, “I’ll need to see some of the afflicted. If it’s a curse there’s only one way to figure out how to fix it.”

 

“We can go right now if you’re free,” Harry said.

 

The blond nodded, “That would be best. I’ll collect my tools and we can Floo to the Ministry. I assume you’re keeping them in the Extraction Unit?”

 

“Not that they’re having any luck extracting anything,” Harry grumbled and Malfoy snorted.

 

“Patience is a virtue, Potter,” He said.

 

Harry just frowned, “Sod off, Malfoy.”

 

He stood by the door while Draco conducted the frenzied dance items were doing in his office with his wand. It was fascinating watching him work. If Harry focused he could feel the stream of power radiating from Malfoy. His magic was strong, concentrated, and controlled, just like the man had become. Harry couldn’t help feel a bit of sadness, riling up Malfoy had always been one of his favourite pastimes. He supposed some things were just bound to change.

 

“I’m ready to go,” Malfoy said, snapping his briefcase shut.

 

He pulled a small bag from his robes and reached inside, pulling a glittering handful of Floo Powder out. Harry stepped forward and watching as Malfoy threw the handful into the fireplace in the corner of his office. The flames roared, leaping high and turning a vivid poison green. Malfoy glanced back at him once before stepping into the flames and saying, “The Ministry, Auror Division.”

 

When Harry had repeated the action himself and slid out of the fireplace, Malfoy was leaning against the wall. His clothes hugged his body in all the right places and Harry had to stamp down inappropriate thoughts. Malfoy was a colleague for fucks’ sake. Admittedly he didn’t work directly at the Ministry, but they were working together now and he had no intention of breaking professionalism. He brushed off his robes while Malfoy detached from the wall.

 

“Clumsy, Potter,” Malfoy said, amused.

 

Harry muttered ‘git’ under his breath before saying, “The Extraction Unit is this way.” He pointed a finger down the hallway, “We have about four people in for observation last I was notified. Most people are okay with a strict prescription for Calming Draughts but the curse has progressed on the people in the EU.”

 

Malfoy nodded as they began to walk down the brightly lit hallway. Fairy lights spilled clean white light over the smooth stone floor and deep blue walls. Portraits of past Aurors covered the walls, all of the occupants watching the odd pair pass. They passed through a cluster of cubicles and down a set of stairs. The doors down this hall were covered in runes and the air was sharp with magic. Harry led the way to the very end of the hallway and stopped in front of a door.

 

“This is where they’re keeping Jonas Felleger,” He said, tapping the door with his wand so the entire wall went transparent. It showed a nicely furnished room with a man lying in bed. Of course the entire thing was charmed to be immovable and soft so he couldn’t hurt himself. He kept twisting and turning, tormented into restlessness. Red lines marred his arms where he’d scratched the skin raw and his eyes were wide and staring. It wasn’t a pretty sight and Harry could understand why Robards had been desperate enough to call in Malfoy, “He’s progressed into the later stages of the curse. I’m warning you now he bites.”

 

“Joy,” Malfoy murmured, his calculating gaze scanning the man, “I’ll need to be in there with him.”

 

Harry nodded, “I can keep him calm by putting him in a trance if you need me to.”

 

“That would be ideal.”

 

Harry tapped the door again with his wand and it swung open. Immediately Jonas sat up, his disheveled hair falling in his face. Crazed brown eyes locked on Malfoy and he lunged forward, roaring. Harry shot a bolt of silver light towards him and he froze, a shudder running through his body. Slowly his eyelids drooped and his shoulders slumped. Harry directed him back to the bed and stood out of the way. Malfoy entered the room, opened his briefcase, and began sorting through.

 

He extracted twelve smooth stones that could fit in the palm of his hand. Each one had an individual rune etched in it, and while Harry was bollocks at runes, he knew them well enough to know those runes weren’t standard. Malfoy laid the stones out in front of Jonas and tapped the first stone in the line with his wand. Nothing happened.  The stones remained dormant until Malfoy had reached the fourth stone. Blue light flashed out from the rune and the stone trembled and rose into the air. Malfoy repeated the process until all the stones had been tapped. Only three of them were floating.

 

At that point he began to chant, his voice soft and low. Light hung in the air wherever he traced with his wand. Harry could feel the power radiating through the air like an electrical current. Malfoy continued to work on Jonas until well over an hour had passed. Finally when the light died he lowered his wand. He began to gather up the stones and Harry spoke, “Have you figured anything out Malfoy?”

 

“It’s a very weak Mind Rot Curse,” He said, “Whoever cast it did a poor job, I could barely recognize it as it was. You need Curse Breakers in here immediately or these people will die.”

 

After that Harry lost track of Malfoy. The Curse-Breakers were called in and anyone affected were properly cured. In the rush of it all he didn’t really see Malfoy until the blond was leaving. Robards clapped Harry on the back for a job well done and they used the magical signature to trace who had cast the curse. Everything was wrapped up nicely. Harry could appreciate a happy ending.

 

**_*+:_ ** **_｡._ ** **_｡_ ** **** **_｡._ ** **_｡:+*_ **

 

The Ministry always held a Winter Ball the night before Christmas Eve. High ranking Ministry officials and various donators attended to sip champagne and no doubt plot and make political alliances. Harry was attending as the Boy-Who-Lived and savoir of the Wizarding World. He hated the things but Kingsley always insisted and he wasn’t going to risk pissing off the Minister of Magic. So like any good savoir Harry put on his best robes, didn’t bother taming his hair, and arrived at the ball fashionably late.

 

It was held at the Glass Gardens, a private residence the Ministry had acquired a long time ago. Harry Apparated to the front gate and was immediately surrounded by flashing lights and reporters. Once he managed to detangle himself from the press, he found himself inside the gate and swarmed by politicians. He tried to make nice, but he really wished he would have brought his Invisibility Cloak. Slowly he made his way down the walk towards where the tables and tents were set up.

 

Trees lined the walkway, pure glass and throwing rainbows in dizzying patterns. Fairy lights glowing among their boughs only enhanced the effect. The air was clean and sweet, colorful glass flowers giving off subtle aromas. Snow blanketed the ground and trees, crunching underfoot and sparkling like crushed diamonds. Harry found himself a table out of the way and threw up a powerful Notice-Me-Not charm. A headache was beginning to bloom in the back of his eyes and he thought longingly of his flat. He nabbed a glass of wine from a passing house elf and sipped at the sour drink.

 

“Hiding from someone?”

 

Harry startled and stared up at Draco Malfoy. The blond was dressed impeccably, his robes deep black and spotless. It couldn’t be helped that Harry felt his heart start beating twice as fast. Old habits die hard. He gestured to the empty seat across from him, “You could say that. Join me?”

 

“So who managed to rope you into coming here?” Malfoy asked, taking a seat and grabbing his own glass of wine, “You look like you’re pulling teeth.”

 

“King- I mean the Minister,” Harry said, grimacing, “I figure if I stay an hour even he can’t complain.”

 

“Hm, you do realize there’s an actual advantage to playing political games, don’t you?” Malfoy drawled, giving him a look.

 

Harry just snorted, “I’ll leave the plotting and sneaky machinations to you.  I just want to go and enjoy my holidays at home.”

 

“Are you still living with the Weaslette?” Malfoy asked. Harry looked at him in surprise; he hadn’t realized the blond had been following his personal affairs. He felt a flutter of anticipation in his gut and wondered if he could somehow make the night go in his favour.

 

He shrugged, “Ginny and I broke up ages ago. She wanted certain things and I was not those certain things.” The bitterness had mostly faded but he still couldn’t help the stab of hurt at the memory. She had been everything he had though he wanted. Things changed, “How about you? Still with Greengrass?”

 

Malfoy smirked, “Not anymore. I find it’s hard to be in a happy marriage when you’re playing for the wrong team.”

 

Harry couldn’t help the blush that stained his features, “I, ah- I see.”

 

“Eloquent, Potter,” He said dryly, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

 

“Sod off, Malfoy,” He grouched.

 

Malfoy sipped his wine slowly, silvery eyes focused on Harry. It was driving Harry mad being around him and he knew he was a goner. The man in front of him was able to get under his skin effortlessly. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, or comfortable for Malfoy. Internally Harry was screaming because Draco-bloody-Malfoy had just told him he was gay. Gay! And single! He wiped his palms on his robes and focused on not turning bright red. Blushing like an idiot would be a bit of a giveaway.

 

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Malfoy asked, making Harry startle from his thoughts.

 

“Exciting things like paperwork and cooking a small dinner for myself,” Harry said, trying to hide how much that statement betrayed. It wasn’t like he wanted to spend Christmas alone, it was just after the war it had become a habit. He hadn’t been able to bear being around the Weasleys when he was responsible for the death of their son. Even when the guilt had become bearable it was just easier to be alone. It was safer that way.

 

Malfoy raised a pale brow, “Surely you have someone to spend it with.”

 

“Unless you’re offering, no,” Harry said, not even thinking about saying the words until they’d tumbled out. His face reddened and he downed his wine, trying to hide his face. Malfoy looked momentarily stunned, but a smile curled his lips.

 

“Consider it an offer, Potter,” Malfoy said, something sparkling brighter than the snow in his eyes.

 

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, “Well- er- you know I’m getting kind of tired of this party.”

 

Malfoy didn’t need any prompting, he stood up, “Well come on then Potter. If we go now we might be able to prepare a proper Christmas Eve dinner for tomorrow.”

 

“You can cook?” Harry asked in surprise, falling into step beside him.

 

He smirked, “Even I have basic skills Potter,” His expression darkened, “Admittedly though I had no prior experience until I was put on house arrest after the war. I took up cooking to keep me from going mad without my magic.”

 

They talked comfortably all the way down the snow blanketed path out into London streets. Harry Apparated them both to his house. He felt a flush of embarrassment at living in such a small apartment, but Malfoy didn’t say a word as he looked around. Everything was spotless and well kept. Old habits die hard, he thought bitterly. He led Malfoy into the kitchen and set to making tea.

 

“What do you want?” Harry asked, pulling some boxes of teabags down, “I have Mint, Pumpkin Spice, Earl Grey, and Chamomile.”

 

“Mint,” Malfoy said. Harry could feel his eyes staring holes in the back of his head. For Merlin’s bloody sake- he needed to stop blushing! He warmed the teakettle with a wave of his wand and set about preparing milk and sugar. His cups were worn and one had a chip out of it, something he was suddenly very aware of. The entire time he could feel Malfoy’s eyes on him.

 

Drinking tea with Malfoy was a startlingly humbling experience. There was so much in the man that had changed, but Malfoy would always be Malfoy. They discussed what they’d done after the war. Malfoy had gone into researching magic itself and lived a mostly solitary life as a scholar. Harry of course was an Auror. They talked for hours even as Malfoy took over cooking, demanding he eat something other than Muggle noodles for supper. It was calming, domestic, and something Harry had always sorely wished for.

 

When Malfoy was ready to leave he stopped in the door. Harry found himself being kissed furiously, lips and tongues moving together angrily. Malfoy tasted of mint tea and his arms were powerful as he gripped Harry. It left Harry reeling and light headed when he pulled away. Of course Malfoy just smirked, before promising to return on Christmas Eve. He was passion and fire, their chemistry obvious in the way each touch burned, and Harry knew some things never really changed.

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic finished! I had fun playing around with the different settings. I'm aware that Malfoy Manor likely looks nothing like what I described, but I've taken my liberties. As far as I'm concerned I play by book rules and they never really described the Manor in the books. Here's to creative freedom.


End file.
